In his first 3 years in office, President Trump has reshaped the U.S. appeals courts, shifting them toward the right and leaving a swift and historic imprint on the federal judiciary nyti.ms/3d0DC4r
We conducted a deep examination of all of President Trump’s 51 new appellate appointees and analyzed more than 10,000 published decisions and dissents since Trump took office to obtain a collective portrait of the Trump-populated bench. By the numbers: 
U.S. appellate judges serve lifetime appointments. President Trump’s appointees — who make up more than a quarter of the entire appellate bench — were more openly engaged in causes important to Republicans.
Perhaps most telling, all but 8 of the new judges have had ties to the Federalist Society, a legal group that has been central to the White House’s appointment process. Nearly twice as many Trump appointees have had ties to the group as President George W. Bush’s.
U.S. federal appellate judges serve in a nonpartisan capacity, but the party of the appointing president has an impact on the likelihood that judges will disagree with their colleagues. Judges appointed by President Trump have exhibited this pattern to an even greater degree.
President Trump has not been shy about politicizing the process. He frequently attributes his popularity among Republicans to his judicial appointments.
President Trump’s appointees are tipping the balance toward conservatives in some circuits that include largely Democratic states. The 13 courts are the last stop for federal cases before the Supreme Court, and nearly all federal litigation ends there. nyti.ms/2wZ9aXz
Here are 5 takeaways from our analysis of how President Trump has reshaped the U.S. federal judiciary nyti.ms/2wXCihU
